Do’s and Don’t’s of being a roommate

Just thinking about college can stress you out. The financing, the curriculum, the 10-mile walk to Bibb Graves Hall which results in you crawling up flights of stairs just to get to class (until that elevator though, turn up). As if that is not enough to think about, some of us are fortunate enough to have a roommate, a chance to live with someone with whom you have never associated with before!

This experience can either be interesting or horrifying, depending on your take of it. Some of us have no idea what exactly we could be getting into, so with some prior knowledge on this particular topic I have made a small list of Do’s and Don’t’s to help you survive having a college roommate. Hopefully, by following the guide, you’ll have a great experience sharing a space with someone else on or off-campus.

Do:

Keep your side of the room clean. No one wants to walk into their room and think they are on an episode of “Hoarders.”

Be respectful. Do your roommate’s classes start later than yours? Try to keep your noise level at a minimum while getting ready.

Keep your boundaries. Although you may absolutely adore your stuffed animal collection, your roommate might not share your enthusiasm.

Discuss your habits beforehand. If you sleep-walk it might be best to warn your roommate so they will not freak out completely when you unconsciously decide to take a late night stroll.

Communicate. If there is some type of hostility or animosity between your roommate and yourself the best way to deal with it is to talk about it.

Don’t:

Eat your roommate’s food. Do you have a death wish? ‘Nuff said.

Use his or her belongings without permission. It is just disrespectful.

Judge your roommate before you meet them. It is easy to turn to social media to find and stalk our soon-to-be roommates, but that does not mean you should. Social media will not tell you everything you need to know about a roommate.

Expect to become BFFs. Although being friends could be nice, it does not always turn out that way.

Become a recluse. It is fine if you spend the day inside having “me” time, but do not make it a habit. Your roommate probably enjoys their alone time as much as you do.